Saturday, August 6, 2011

Awesome value

The family I mention in my 6/21 post returns to France tomorrow. Their older boy celebrated his fifteenth birthday while they were here, and from his birthday card they all learned a new word: “awesome.” In a video clip they later sent, standing at the edge of the Grand Canyon, they cry out, “It’s awesome!”

When I visit a place where I don’t speak the language, I feel small, in a way. This couple’s two boys, fifteen and almost twelve, learned the value of knowing even a small amount of another language while they were here. During their visit I was the one limited, by speaking English only, while they were fluent in their native tongue and some of my own. When they asked me how to say something in English, they asked me in English. When I asked them how to say something in French, I asked in English.

By knowledge of English, they have the advantage whether they’re in France or America. I hope I helped them to not feel small, but to realize their awesome(!) value.

And speaking of awesome, their mother taught me how to make the cake she whipped up for her son's birthday, a simple chocolate fondant cake. Here's my first attempt, out of the oven just fifteen minutes ago. Thank you, Tiphaine!